Crash
by MaddieMakeshift
Summary: My mother named me Avalon. My parents tried to get me out of the city when the lights went out. Along the way, they were killed. I joined the militia and became Monroe's pride and joy. That's where I met my current boyfriend, Nate. I see the way his little friend, Charlie, looks at me. She doesn't know that I'm going to make the Monroe Republic crash down.
1. Avalon Kandinsky

"They're around here, I swear." Nate says, looking around. "I swear." He repeats.

I throw my head back and laugh. "Aw, Natie, you're an awful tracker." I say. "No wonder Monroe never let you go hunting with me!" I laugh again.

"Shut up, Ava."

"No." I stick my tongue out at him. We walk a few more steps, teasing each other, when the wind blows from behind, and a familiar smell surrounds me. "Duck!" I yell, and Nate and I hit the floor quickly. I turn over on my back and make eye contact with Miles Matheson himself. Before he can swing his sword at me, I kick him where it hurts.

As he falls, I stand and load an arrow, aimed at his head. "Nate? Nice quick little hunting trip, huh?" A girl's voice asks.

"Hey, Charlie. Yeah, it's going well." Nate says awkwardly. I roll my eyes.

I glance up to see that she has her crossbow aimed at my head. "Hey, now. The only reason why I'm prepared to shoot your uncle is because he's a trained killer. We want to talk to you."

"I told you we shouldn't have trusted him. It's a trap, Charlie. Walk away." Miles says, glaring up at me.

"Shut up, Matheson." I snap. "We're trying to save your asses."

"How do you know who I am?" Miles asks suspiciously.

"Oh, you don't remember me?" I pause. "Avalon Kandinsky? Ring any bells?"

Recognition floods Miles' eyes. "I remember you know. You joined the militia when you were thirteen, right?"

"Right." I smirk. "If I let you up, will you kill me?" Miles shakes his head, and I put my arrow back in its rightful place. I spread my hands out towards the small group. "Listen. We know that you guys are under some pressure. We know how to find your brother."

"So do we." Charlie snaps.

"Not in the right way." I snap back. "We know exactly where he is. Monroe's having Neville put him on a train. If we don't find him by tomorrow morning, he's dead for sure."

This makes Charlie bite her lip. Serves her right, for doubting me. Nate must sense my superiority, because he touches my arm lightly. Charlie's eyes hone in on the action. "Fine. But if you make one wrong move, we'll kill you both."

"Of course, your majesty." I say, giving a slight curtsy. "We should get moving, we can't afford to waste time." I give them a few minutes to get ready and introduce themselves. I opt out of the meet and greet and climb the tree directly above their heads. There was a bad storm earlier, and I can't afford any setbacks. With my unnaturally good hearing, I hear Charlie talking to Nate.

"I was worried about you." Charlie says.

"Sorry. But I couldn't let you onto what was going on. I knew that you'd never let me go and find Avalon." He says.

"Do you really trust her?" Charlie says quietly.

"Yes, I do." Nate says.

"Then I trust her." Charlie pauses for a moment. "I just missed you so much." Her voice sounds muffled, and I look down to see what's going on. She has her arms wrapped around Nate.

I leap down from the tree, which is really only around twenty feet up, and land on my feet a few inches behind Charlie's back. She immediately whirls around and glares at me, stepping away from Nate. He gives me a look, but I ignore it.

"Let's leave now." I say, and begin to walk away. I pause and turn to face Charlie. "Oh yeah, Charlie?"

"Yes?"

"The next time you touch my boyfriend, I'll put an arrow through your head."

Things you should have/know: avalon1/set?id=60719936 avalon_kandinsky/collection?id=1951826


	2. True Alliance

"We must've walked at least ten miles today. Can't we take a break?" Aaron asks.

I turn around and walk backwards so I can talk to him. "If you want to wait here and let us go and get Danny, do it. Otherwise, shut up. We have a train to catch." I turn back around and continue to walk in silence for a couple hours.

I feel a presence next to me, and I don't bother looking to see who it is. "You really shouldn't push them so hard."

"They really shouldn't complain so much. They want Danny back? Fine, let's go do it. I just want to get this over with."

"Avalon…" Nate sighs.

I immediately change the subject. "So how did your dad take it when you broke away from him? Your mom must be upset."

Nate grabs my arm and pulls me close to him. "How dare you bring up my mother? You don't see me pressing you to talk about your parent issues. Don't talk to me about mine." He shoves me roughly away from him, causing me to stumble backwards. Anger courses up through my veins. His dad's reaction might be important for the well being of the whole group.

"Oh, touchy." I keep up a steady pace next to him. "I was just thinking that if your dad was, oh, I don't know, fucking _pissed_, it might be good to know."

"You want to know what happened?" Nate asks, refusing to look at me.

"Well, obviously that's what I've been saying…"

"Then be quiet and listen. He thought I might leave ever since I let Charlie go. If I'd taken Danny, they would've followed me. And I had to get them to trust me again. So my dad was more embarrassed than anything. Most of the militia thinks that I'm dead, courtesy of my father for abandoning the Republic. So, we're safe. It's been two weeks and nobody's looked for me, and we're only a day's walk from Philly, where Monroe is. I'm fine, and I think it's safe to say that we're safe." I shake my head, fully aware that our group is all listening.

"Don't give me that shit, Nate. Don't pretend like you're okay when you're not. Sure, your dad may suck ass, but he did all of this for you. You have a right to be upset."

"Whatever." I bite down on my lip and stare after Nate for a while.

"We should make camp, it's getting dark."

Nate whirls around to face me. "First you want to press on, then you want to stop. Make up your goddamn mind, Avalon!" He yells, his chest nearly pressed to mine. I take a tiny step back and place my hands on his chest. Nate calms immediately and stares at nothing. "Sorry."

"Don't be." I tell him. "Let's find a good place to rest." We walk for twenty more minutes until we find a nice spot, and Nate doesn't stray from my side the whole way. I can't help but feel sorry for him. He's lost so much in his life, and now he's lost his father and mother, as well as his friends.

Nora and Charlie get their beds ready, while Miles and Aaron seem to be arguing about something. I turn my back to them and strip down to my tank top, jeans, and socks. As I straighten up after laying out my bedding, warm hands wrap around my waist. I turn to see Nate, staring down at me.

"I really am sorry about earlier." Nate murmurs against the skin of my neck. He begins to plant tiny kisses against my neck. "How can I make it up to you?"

I push him away lightly. "By helping me get back Danny." I say, kissing him full on the lips. It's been too long that he's been away.

Nate sighs. "Why are you so obsessed with this kid?" He asks me. "Do I have to kill him, or…"

I let out a laugh. "Don't worry, he won't replace you. I just… There isn't much family in this world, you know? So I figured, if I help them, my parents would be happy. I know they wouldn't be proud of the things I've done in the past, but… I don't know. I just want to make someone happy."

"You make _me_ happy." Nate smiles down at me and kisses me again. This time, I don't pull away.

"Uh, yeah. Can you guys stop procreating for one moment, please?" Miles asks. I blush, but remain close to Nate. "We need to make a plan. Obviously, Nate can't be seen."

"If we're going to run into my dad or Monroe, Avalon shouldn't be seen either. She may be more important than you." I smack Nate immediately. "Ow, what?"

"Why would she be more important?" Nora asks, looking at me carefully. I know that she's a rebel, and I know what she'd do to trade me to Monroe.

"I'm not." I say clearly. "I was just part of the militia, okay?"

"There's more to this situation than that, obviously." Charlie says.

"It's not important." Miles says. I stare at him in disbelief. Maybe he remembers more than he claims. "What is important is that we figure out a way to get Danny back. Monroe will be keeping him in the east wing, on the second story. That's where we keep war prisoners of value."

"I was thinking room two." Nate says. "Since room one is probably being used."

"Sounds good." Miles nods. "You and Avalon will hang back with Aaron. Nora, Charlie, and I will go in and bring him back. Since I honestly still don't trust you, you'll be left out of the plans."

Nate opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "Whatever you think is best." Nate gives me a disapproving look. "What? I can see why they wouldn't trust us. You've abandoned them, I'm militia. Let's get some rest." I stand and hold out my hand to Nate, which he ignores. I wait for a moment longer, and he places his hand in mine.

"So what's your plan?" Nate asks quietly as we walk away.

"No plan." I respond. "They deserve their privacy. Let's sleep while we can."

"And if they turn us into militia? Then what?"

"Then nothing. Nate, calm down. I'll kill myself, then you, before the militia gets us."

"Then you'd be dead and have no way to kill me."

"Whatever, you know what I meant." I slip into my sleeping bag after Nate. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his lips to my forehead.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Natie."

"Don't call me that."

"Night."

"Night."

"Avalon!" Someone says slightly too loud. "Avalon!"

"Jesus, what is it!?" I snap back, my eyes still closed.

"There's a dog, Aaron's freaking out." I recognize the voice as Charlie's. Of course.

I turned over on my stomach and sat up. A pretty dog stood a few feet from me, bearing its teeth at Charlie. "When exactly were you going to tell me I might be in danger?" Charlie didn't take her eyes off of the dog. I sigh. "Seren, come off it." The dog looks at me and bows its head slightly.

"You… Know this thing?"

"This _thing,"_ I pause to glare at her, "happens to be my dog." Seren lies down on my blanket and lets out a soft, cat-like purr as I scratch behind his ears. "You scared him."

"We scared him? Please." Charlie scoffs.

"Go on, go home, boy." I say, pointing to the west. Seren takes off running. When Nate and I ditch this group of misfits, we'll go to my safe house a few hours from here. We'll be safe.

Charlie just shakes her head and goes back to her sleeping area. "We should get moving before Monroe decides to move Danny to a more secure location. He must know we're coming." Miles says, his stuff all packed.

I step up to him. I hate to be the instigator of the group, but I have a question that I need to know the answer to. "If it really comes down to it, will you kill Monroe?"

Miles watches me silently for a minute. "I don't know."

"Well you need to. Because if you can't, I will."

"They've been gone for nearly thirty minutes." Nate says, kicking at the ground. "I told you this would happen." Aaron watches us both carefully.

"Shut it." I snap. "They'll be here." But I'm starting to get my worries as well. Out of nowhere, there's sudden noise to the right of us. I stand and quickly load my arrow and aim it at the source of the noise. A blonde boy, maybe nineteen came into view.

I nearly let my arrow fly when Nate speaks. "No! It's Charlie's brother. Danny."

I lower my bow. "Oh. Sorry."

"Uh. It's fine." Charlie, Nora, and Miles appear behind him.

"Dammit, Nora, you just had to, didn't you?" Miles asks angrily, breaking into a run. We all follow behind him.

"I saw my chance, and I took it. I'm sorry I'm trying to save us all." Nora snaps back.

"You killed us!" Miles yells.

"What the hell happened back there?" I ask Charlie.

"Nora tried to shoot at Monroe, with a gun."

"What?" I ask.

"In there." Miles says, and we all duck in an abandoned electronics shop.

"What is your problem?" I scream at Nora, pushing her into a wall. "Do you know what's going to happen? We can't run, they know exactly where we are! Monroe has eyes all around him! We're dead!" I crouched down and put my head between my knees, praying I wouldn't throw up.

"Listen, we'll be fine." Nate says soothingly. "We'll be fine."

Outfits: avalon_fights/set?id=61212866

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	3. Sacrifice

I pace around our small space, trying to think our way out of this. Monroe had seen Nate and me for sure, along with Charlie and Miles. He's possibly assembling an army to kill us now. He most likely is.

"Guys, my leg really hurts." Aaron says, for what felt like the millionth time. I kneel by his side and pull up his pant leg. I gag when I see the bite wound. "That bad, huh?"

The flesh seems to be infected. "We'll never make it out alive now. He can't run." Miles says.

I nod. "We're dead." I agree. Nate just sits on the floor, as does Danny, but Charlie seems to have some sort of mental break.

"We aren't going to die!"

"Yeah, Charlie, we kind of are." Miles snaps.

They engage in a yelling match, screaming awful things at each other. "Hey!" I yell. "Shut up! There's no use arguing. Let's try and think a way out of this." After a few moments of silence, Danny spoke.

"Well let's think like Monroe. What does he want most in the world, besides total control?" Nate and Miles glace at me, while everyone else looks at Miles. I sit down weakly, terrified of Danny's implication. Miles clenches his fists.

"What weapons do we have?" Nate asks quickly. Smart boy.

"A couple of bows. Nothing against guns. I used up my last bullet." Nora responds.

There's a sudden bang on the door of the store. I tense up immediately. "Everyone, listen. We aren't all going to make it out of here."

"Avalon…" Nate says.

"No. Let me finish. Before the militia, I lived in a safe house. It's a couple hours away from here, on foot." I scribble down the exact address and directions on a piece of paper from Charlie's pack. "If there's anyone living there, tell them that you know Avalon from California, and that she's compromised."

"You're not planning on making it out of here, are you?" Danny asks.

I grimace. "That's a possibility." There are two more bangs on the door, and then it flies open, revealing a very angry Sebastian Monroe.

Of course, he meets my eyes first. A smile instantly spreads on my face. "Avalon. I feared we'd never see you again."

"Unfortunately not." I say calmly.

Monroe looks behind me. "Ah, Matheson!"

"Monroe." Miles says awkwardly.

Monroe smiles at all of us, as if assessing our strength. "Sir?" Captain Neville asks.

"Kill Matheson." Monroe says.

"NO!" I say, louder than I intended. I step in front of Miles, as if my tiny body could physically shield him.

Monroe lets out a small laugh. "So you do still have some feelings left over for Miles, huh?"

"What?" Nora asks angrily. I glare at Monroe.

"Well then what about him?" Monroe points to Aaron. Aaron gives me a scared look. "Or even him." Monroe turns his gaze on Nate. I see Captain Neville stiffen.

"Not Jason, not my boy!" Neville says.

"Silence." Monroe commands.

"I'll make a deal with you." I say, moving forward slightly.

"Avalon." Nate says, reaching out to grab me.

I turn and rip my arm away. "You guys are more important. Let me do this." I step away from Nate before he has the chance to hold onto me. "If you let them go, I'll go with you without a fight."

Monroe thinks for a second. "Not going to cut it sweetheart, sorry."

"I'll tell you everything I know about the lights." I say, squinting my eyes shut. When I open them, Monroe is openly gaping at me.

"What could you possibly remember about the lights?"

"I remember the designs my dad was working on. That's why we came to the east coast. And when I was twelve, he told me everything." I bite down on my lip, praying that he would really let everyone go.

"Captain Neville?" Monroe asks.

"Yes, sir?"

"Move aside and let them go." Nora jumps up and grabs her stuff, letting Aaron lean on her. I turn to Miles.

"Get as far away from here as you can. Remember what I told you." Miles nods. I can still understand what's running through his mind. I know that he's wondering what to do. I push him towards Nora. "Go."

I'm embraced by someone. I pull away to see Charlie. "Thank you for saving my brother."

"Go on, get out of here!" I demand. What is wrong with everyone?

"Avalon…" Nate says from behind me. I turn and wrap my arms around him tightly, pressing my lips to his. Then I pull back and grab his face, forcing him to be level with me.

"Listen to me, okay? I love you. Go and make sure they're okay, alright? Make sure to feed Seren. I love you, please remember me." I practically beg.

Nate shakes his head. "I'll come back for you." He calls as Charlie begins to drag him away.

"No, it's not worth it. Just make sure you're safe." I say as Charlie takes him by the arm and leads him out of the store.

"Avalon?" I look up to see Miles staring at me intently. "Thank you." He drops a small kiss on my cheek, and whispers in my ear. "Be on the look out." Then he turns and runs from the store.

"Now. Tell me why the lights went out." Monroe says, moving closer to me. I automatically back into a wall.

"Not until I can trust you." I say, flinching when he strokes my cheek.

"It's like nothing's changed." Monroe says. My stomach turns with the thought.

Nate's POV

"Why are we still here? It's been hours, we should be at the safe house!" Nora asks for the umpteenth time.

"Because I need to make sure she's still okay!"

"She will never be okay, Nate! Do you get that?" Nora says.

I shake my head. "You don't understand. Until she ran away, Monroe used to _sell_ her. She was his own personal mistress! And now you're telling me that we should just go?" I can feel the stunned silence around me, but I ignore it. I turn to Miles. "And what the hell was that all about, she still has feelings for you?"

Miles shrugged. "We were together for a couple of years, so what?"

"Years? Why didn't I know? I was her best friend."

"It was supposed to be just between us. After all, she was only sixteen. Even if the lights were on, that's not something you'd go around telling everyone. I guess that Monroe knew the whole time."

"There she is!" Danny points to a girl in a dress.

"That can't be her, she was wearing different clothes." Charlie says.

"It is her." I say grimly. "I nearly forgot that Monroe liked to dress her up."

"That's fucked up." Charlie says under her breath.

"Tell me about it."

"When did all of this start?" Aaron asks.

"When she was sixteen. I remember the first night. She cried." I say.

There seems to be a commotion below us, at the campsite, and we're luckily close enough to listen. Mostly, the guys seem to be shouting, "Avalon? Wow, you sure grew up." Or things of the sort. Avalon seems to be okay until one guy reached out and grabs at her. She slaps his hand and backs up quickly, into my dad.

He leans forward and says something to her, his eyes darting up to where we're staked out. She follows his glance, and nods. She continues walking without a problem.

"Avalon!" Monroe says loudly. "I got you a present."

"I don't want another gun, Monroe." Avalon says tiredly.

"I know, I know. That's why I got you this!" He reveals a nicely made bow. Even Avalon can't keep her eyes off of it.

"That's very pretty. But I don't want it." She says.

"That's a lie. Come on, take it!"

"What'll it cost, hm?" Avalon challenges, cocking an eyebrow.

Monroe smirks and holds out his arm. "Come." He says, nodding to his cabin. Avalon hesitates. "I know exactly where your friends are. They're only an hour away from here. They're slow walkers."

Avalon's expression relaxes ever so slightly. She walks up to him, and he immediately grabs onto her and kisses her full on the mouth, causing the guys around him to cheer.

I tense, and Miles is suddenly pinning me down. "Let me go! I'm gonna kill him!" I spit out, twisting around.

"No, you aren't, because we're going to get her out of there, alive. It'll just take some time."

I glare at him. "You don't know what it feels like! To see his hands all over her!"

"Yes, I do." Miles cuts me off. "I do know. Because for three whole years, I had to watch it. I had to see her with him, and if I said a word, he'd kill her, then me. I do know what it's like. And I know that you can handle it. If you want your girlfriend alive by the end of the week, you'll control yourself." Miles turns back to watch the campsite.

I chose to sit by myself. Of course, nothing ever goes my way. "He's right, you know." Charlie says.

"God, Charlie, not now. Please."

"Sorry." She says quietly.

"Leave me alone." I mutter. But she ignores me. I know that she's there when I curl up and go to sleep. I know that she hears me trying to control my emotions. I also know that she won't leave me alone anytime soon.

* * *

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	4. Darkness

"You bitch!" The soldier screams at me, pushing me down onto the ground. He wipes his nose with his sleeve, causing more blood to flow.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" I cry, praying that he won't take a swing at me. He does, and I flinch, waiting for the blow, but it never comes. I slowly open my eyes to see Captain Neville pinning the guy against his tent.

"Didn't you hear when General Monroe said you weren't to touch that girl?" Neville asks, smashing his fist into the guy's face again and again.

I wrap the blanket tighter against my naked body, tears flowing freely down my face. A familiar warm hand touches my bare shoulder, and I flinch away. "It's alright." Monroe says softly. I glare up at him.

"Don't touch me." I spit.

"Come on, you're freezing. I'll make you tea or something."

"It doesn't matter. It goes the same way every night. You ask me to go with you, I refuse, you take me anyways, and then I feel worthless."

"But this time I mean it." Monroe insists.

"You've said that five times." I say, standing shakily. "Might as well get it over with."

I actually really like Monroe's tent. When he's not in it, I mean. He has a large armoire, candles, and a mirror. And of course, a bed. "Why do you hate me?" Monroe asks from behind me.

I let out a light laugh. "That's a joke, right?"

Monroe just looks at me. "I know that Miles has been trying to figure out a way to get out of here. Hell, I would be too, if the girl I love was trapped with him."

"Miles does not…"

"Save it, Avalon. My point is, I think we should start over. Your parents would want us to."

A tear slides down my cheek. Dragging my parents into this is a low blow, and he knows it, too. "Fuck you." I whisper brokenly.

"That was low." Monroe agrees. "But true. So from now on, let me know if anyone tries to grab you like today. We'll talk more later." He says, dismissing me. I nod and stand. "Where are you going?"

"To find a place to sleep."

"No need, I'll leave. Have a good night's rest." I stare after Monroe as he leaves his own tent. Which is mine now. I shake my head. Nothing makes sense anymore.

* * *

I carry the clothes that I just washed out to the line where I hang them. I hum quietly to myself, daydreaming about when the lights were on. I accidentally bump into someone. "Oops, sorry." I mutter, about to move away.

"Wait, Avalon?" A girl asks. I look up at her and immediately know who she is.

"Lida Connors?" I ask. We embrace quickly. "What're you doing here? I thought you ran away a few years ago!"

"I did. They caught me." Lida says grimly.

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"Whatever, Monroe's over it. What're you doing here?"

"Part of a trade. Me and knowledge for the freedom of Nate and a few friends. Including Miles Matheson."

"You saw Miles Matheson?" Lida asks, shocked.

"Yup." I say, popping the p.

"Didja kiss him?" She teases.

"Lida!" I say, clipping the clothes to the line. "You know it's not like that anymore."

"Too bad. You two were so cute." I roll my eyes at her. "Speaking of cute, where's Nate?"

I shrug. "Not sure. I suppose they're hanging around here somewhere."

Lida opens her mouth to say something else, but shuts it quickly. "I'll see you around, alright?" She winks at me and then disappears.

I shake my head at her behavior and return to hanging. "I never knew that Lida Connors knew about us." I jump when I hear Miles' voice next to me.

"Jesus." I hiss. "Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack? What're you doing here, anyways?" I ask. "You could get in a lot of trouble."

"I need to talk to you." He says seriously. "What exactly is your plan? Nate's gone of, torturing himself because he thinks that he 'figured out' your plan. So what is it?"

I smile wryly. "I take it he kissed Charlie?"

Miles stares at me, stunned. "_That_ was your plan? To make him and Charlie get together?" I nod. "Why? I thought you loved him."

"I do. But I was causing so much damage. I just want him to be happy." I say. Miles shakes his head at me. "What?" Before I can comprehend, his lips are on mine. I immediately shove him away. Okay, that's a lie. I kind of kissed him back until we had to stop for air. Oops. "What the hell was that for?"

"What do you mean?" Miles asks casually. I try to contain my patience. _He's just being typical Miles_, I tell myself.

"I mean, why did you kiss me? We aren't together."

"And obviously you and Nate aren't together." Miles points out.

"That was just a precaution. In case I never made it out of here. Which, by the way, it seems as if I won't."

"It's taking time, we're working it out."

I notice him looking uncomfortable. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I didn't see you pulling away." I remain silent. "Exactly."

"Nate will be mad."

"Probably. But isn't that a little bit hypocritical? Him getting mad at you for kissing someone while he's doing the exact same thing?"

"Well… Go away, Matheson."

"Oh, so we're going back to calling each other by our last names, huh, Kandinsky. Really mature." Miles says bitterly. "You're still the same immature sixteen year old that you were when I met you." _Ouch_. Miles knows that his words hurt, because he immediately tries to back out of it. "Avalon, I didn't mean…"

"Yeah, Miles, you did." I say, hanging up the last piece of clothing. "I told Monroe a little bit about the lights."

"Why?"

"Because it's what I promised. The other stuff doesn't make sense, I would just confuse him." I say. "Besides, he hasn't been so bad lately."

"He's forcing you to sleep with him. Why isn't that bad?"

"He isn't anymore, that's my point. He's treating me like he should've from the start. I don't know, he's starting to grow on me." I admit quietly.

Miles stares at me. "Okay, let's get you out of here, right now." He reaches out to grab me when we hear a voice from behind us.

"Are you really going to take her so soon, Miles?" Monroe asks. Miles shifts in front of me. "Things were just getting interesting." He leers at me, causing me to flinch away.

"Monroe, don't play this game. Admit it; you have no other use of Avalon." Monroe and Miles stare at each other. Miles gently pushes me backwards. I stumble and nearly lose my balance when hands reach out from behind me and pull me into the trees.

Before I can comprehend what is happening, I am put on some type of cart with other people and Miles is screaming at someone to go. I finally get a good look at everyone and see that all of my friends have come to rescue me.

I grasp onto Nora's hand until we slow down in front of the safe house. The whole ride had been silent for some reason that I could not understand. "Have you guys gone in yet?" I ask quietly. This is not the reunion I imagined.

"No, this is our first time being here." Nora responds.

I wander towards the house as the rest of them unpack. I hear a crunch of fall leaves, and suddenly there is a knife at me throat. It's clearly a guy, from his grasp on me. The placement of his hands feel so familiar, I smile. "Sterling Evans."

I'm released and spun around to face a familiar boy with dark brown hair, lightened and streaked by the sun, and shocking blue eyes. "Avalon?" I nod, and Sterling crushes me into him. "I missed you so much."

I press my face into his chest and breathe in his grass-and-sunshine scent, which is absolutely amazing after years of being apart. He pulls away and stares down at me. "Wow." He whispers. Seeing my best friend since birth again, after everything that's happened, is too much. My lower lip juts out, and my face contorts. "Hey… Are you okay?" I burst into tears, and Sterling is automatically soothing me. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

He tilts my head up so that he can see my face better. "Oh, Sterling. Everything is so wrong." Sterling gives me a sympathetic smile. "Where are your parents?"

He shakes his head subtly. "They died about a year ago. Mom was killed by some militia guys. Dad was gone shortly after."

My heart goes out to him. "I know the feeling." I say.

"It's just been me, and occasionally Seren. Smart dog you have there." He remarks.

"Thanks. I trained her." I say. I stay attached to Sterling's side, but move so that everyone can see him. "I made some friends." I tell him.

"So I can see."

"That's Aaron, Nora, Miles, Danny, Charlie, and Nate." I look out at my new friends. "Everyone, this is Sterling."

"Come on in. There are a lot of rooms, feel free to take whichever you want." Sterling says, turning to lead our group up to the house. I remain glued to his side. Sterling slings his arm carelessly around my shoulder. "So, Ava, what's been going on? Anything major?"

I let out a small laugh. "Oh, Sterling, you have _no_ idea."


	5. Shivers

I sit at the kitchen table with Miles, Charlie, Sterling, and Nate. They all stare at me. Sterling begins to trace small patterns on my skin with his fingertip. "What _happened_ to you, Avalon?" He finally asks.

I grimace. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

"Did they make you do things you didn't want to do?" He asks, brow furrowing.

"Sterling, I said not now!" I snap. His fingers stop touching my arm. I look up at him.

His expression is obviously hurt. "What happened to telling each other everything?"

"A lot has changed, okay?"

"Clearly." Sterling says. I roll my eyes at him. He opens his mouth to say something, and then changes his mind.

"Go on." I say.

"Did you…kill people?" He asks me softly.

I look into his crystal clear blue eyes, a mirror image of my own. I frown slightly. "Yes, I did." I tell him. He bites down on his lip, clearly holding in something important. I sigh. "Spit it out. Say whatever horrible thing you feel that you have to say."

After a moment of delay, Sterling starts. "Are you kidding me, Avalon? We grew up together! And now, after I haven't seen you since you were thirteen, and you've killed people? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I did what I had to do!"

"Bullshit!" Sterling yells. "You didn't have to join the militia. You could've stayed here and…"

"And what? Sat around and cried about my parents being killed brutally in front of me? It hasn't done you much good." I point out.

"You selfish bitch." Sterling spits at me. "The minute everything stops being perfect, you run." He let out a little laugh. "Hell, I bet you're in it with both of these guys." He points to Miles and Nate.

I glare evenly at him. "Fuck you, Sterling. You're an asshole."

"Yeah, you aren't so innocent anymore either, sweetheart." Sterling retorts, giving me a mean smile.

I stand up and stare down at him. "I have killed more than you ever will." I snap. "Don't test me, or I'll put a bullet in your head." A shiver runs down my back as soon as the words leave my mouth.

"Stop!" Sterling says. "I just want my best friend back. That's all."

I stiffen up. "Well, she's gone."

"Obviously." He agrees. I stand up quickly and shove a chair out of my way.

"Where are you going?" Aaron asks me.

"Hunting." I spit out as I grab my bow and arrow and slam the door. The door opens and I hear heavy footsteps behind me. Aaron.

"It's not safe for you to go alone. We just got you back." Aaron says.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I need quiet to hunt."

Aaron shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you."

"Fine." I snap, and spin on my heel. I walk for a while when I hear something in the bushes next to me. I whirl and release my arrow into it. I look to see that I've just shot Aaron's backpack.

"What the hell?"

I began to blush. "Sorry! I guess I'm just off my game." I reach over and grab the arrow. "Sorry." I repeat.

"It's fine." He says. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"What are you going to do about Miles and Nate?"

"There's nothing _to_ do." I say.

"There is." He says.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Aaron shrugs. "You're clearly unstable. Miles still likes you, to some extent. And Nate doesn't know what to do. On top of that, your only uninvolved friend is pissed at you." I stare at him evenly. "You need to talk about this or something. You can't keep your emotions bottled up inside. I did, and I have no idea where my wife is because I did something stupid."

I bit down on my lip, thinking. "I…still love Miles." I say. There. It was out there. The big truth I've been trying to ignore. "But I don't know what to do about Nate." I think for a moment. "What happened to your wife?"

"I left her because I didn't think I was strong enough to take care of her." Aaron says.

"Strong enough… But Aaron, you've been so strong!"

"I left her with someone even stronger. I hope everyday that she's still safe." I frown as I watch him.

"I saw Charlie's mom while I was being kept prisoner." I say suddenly. I hadn't meant to tell anyone except for Miles. Me and my big mouth.

"What? You saw Rachel?" I nod.

Aaron stares at me. "Don't tell Charlie or anyone else. I need to ask Miles what to do. I knew that she was alive, but I don't know what to think anymore. She's…not doing well."

"We need to get back and tell him right now. It's already been a couple of hours." I squint up at the sky.

"Really? Time goes by quickly when you aren't dreading night time." I remark, causing Aaron to flinch.

"Let's just go." He says, and we walk back in silence. I constantly check over my shoulder until we get to the house. "Do you smell that? It smells like…"

"Whiskey." I finish, grimacing. We walk into the kitchen.

"Avalon!" Sterling booms and staggers towards me. I shake my head. "I missed you."

"You're drunk." I say.

"Sure am." He laughs.

"Go to bed." I tell him.

"Not until I tell you how sorry I am." Sterling says.

"You just did. Now go get some rest."

"But…"

"Now!" I say firmly.

"Fine, just don't tell my mom I've been drinking." He tells me, dropping a kiss on my cheek. "If I was you, I'd pick the ex-militia guy. He cares about you." Sterling laughs and walks off.

"What an asshole." I mutter to myself. Then I turn to the others in the kitchen. "Miles, I need to talk to you."

Miles stares at me. "Alone?"

I nod. "But Aaron can stay."

"Are you kidding me?" Nate asks.

"Nate…"

"No, Avalon! I think I deserve to hear this!"

"Nate…"

"I haven't even gotten to touch you since you got back!"

"Whose fault is that, Jason?" I ask. Nate flinches at his real name. "Just let me talk to them alone for a while."

He glares at me, and I stare back at him. The look in his eyes…is almost hate. "Fine." He spits out, and then pulls Charlie into his arms. "Let's go, Charlie." I bite down on my lip so hard it bleeds.

Once I'm certain they're out of ear shot, I take a deep breath. "Are you okay?" Aaron asks cautiously.

"Fine." I spit out, rubbing my forehead anxiously. "Listen, Miles, I saw Rachel, and she isn't doing well. I don't know what Monroe is making her do, but she's refusing to do it. I'm worried about her now that Danny's gone."

"What exactly are you proposing?" Miles asks in a controlled voice. I look up to see him looking at me intently. But underneath his surface, he must be pissed off. After all, we did just rescue Danny and go through all of that shit.

"I'm proposing we go and get Rachel." I say.

"No. Absolutely not. She hates me, remember?"

"Because you locked her away!" I explode. Miles purses his lips and begins to pace. "And here we go with the pacing!" I say, throwing my hands up in the air.

Miles starts towards me, and I automatically back up into the wall. "Don't test me, Avalon." He says angrily. "This is my family. It's Charlie's mom, for crying out loud! But I guess you wouldn't understand that, since you don't have parents." Miles sneers.

I hold my ground, knowing that he isn't thinking straight. "No, I guess I wouldn't understand." I say calmly while fighting a shiver that threatens to wrack my body.

Miles's composure withers immediately. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Are you up for it?" I ask.

"Sure, just not for a few days, alright? I need some rest." Miles pushes past me without waiting for my response, and I look to Aaron.

"I guess we'll head out in a few days." I turn to go up the stairs. "Get some sleep, okay, Aaron? You look like shit." I let out a small laugh and retreat to my own bed after years of being away.


	6. Poppies

Charlie's POV

"Hey, Avalon?" Nora asks as we sit in Sterling's kitchen. "Why did Monroe let you go so easily?"

I sigh and look away, bored. Sterling is sleeping off the insane amount of alcohol he had consumed, Aaron is still dead asleep, and the rest of us are downstairs. Nate refuses to speak to Avalon, and Danny keeps staring at her. I rolled my eyes when I noticed. _Boys_.

"To be honest, I think Miles was right. He had no other use for me. Monroe has a pendant, he knows how it works, and he's planning something huge." Avalon replies while avoiding Miles's eyes.

"Something huge?" Miles asks. "What exactly do you mean?"

Avalon shakes her head quickly. "I don't know the full plans. A lot of the time, Monroe would bring me to war meetings, as a sort of possessive thing. I zoned out a lot, but lately, he was planning something with Captain Neville. Something he couldn't talk about in front of others. Even when I was there, he whispered."

She bites her lip and stares down at the table. "Can you remember hearing anything at all?" Miles presses.

"No, Miles!" Avalon yells. "If I knew, I'd freaking tell you." She quiets down immediately and leans back in her seat. "The war meetings had to do with border wars and the Georgia Federation. But I don't know what he was telling Neville."

"If he figures out how to work that pendant, we're all dead, and the people in the Georgia Federation are dead." Miles rubs his hand across his forehead. "This is bad."

"Pendant?" Nate asks. "What pendant?"

"Ask her." Miles says, pointing at Avalon. Nate sits back in his chair, a sour expression on his face.

Avalon lets out a small sigh. "It turns the lights on for a limited radius and a limited amount of time. I don't know how." She says without looking at him. Nate doesn't say a word, and tension spreads through the air.

"Who the hell died?" Sterling asks as he walks in.

"How are you feeling?" Avalon asks, standing up and grabbing him a glass of water. "Does your head hurt?" She roots around in a drawer for a moment, and then slaps down the glass and a small white pill in front of him. "Take that."

"Jesus, woman! I'm fine, I just had a bit too much to drink." Sterling says as he tosses back his pill. Avalon continues to hover around him, unsure what to do. "Seriously, I'm fine."

Avalon stares down at his arm blankly. "I didn't know you liked growing plants." She says.

Sterling forces a laugh. "Oh, yeah. It's sort of a recent thing."

"And poppies, huh? Interesting choice." She says, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well, you know me, always the interesting one." He says casually. Avalon reaches out and yanks up his shirt sleeve a little bit more. "Careful!" She points to a small mark on his arm.

"You're shooting up heroin!" She accuses. Everyone turns to stare at Sterling. "Aren't you?" He remains silent. "Aren't you!?"

"Avalon… You've had your bad times and I've had mine. It was a coping method." Sterling says calmly.

"Coping method, my ass!" Nora says, shaking her head.

"You need to stop!" Avalon says.

"Okay, Barbie." Sterling says, tugging on a piece of Avalon's blonde hair. She bats his hand away.

"Don't call me that!" She says angrily. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Are you really angry that I'm doing drugs? You're the one prancing around with two guys, the militia, and you're killing people!" Sterling says. "We aren't the same two twelve year old kids that we used to be."

Avalon pauses. "You're right."

"Of course I am." Sterling smirks.

"Now I know where I got my sense of superiority." She remarks, laughing.

"It's contagious." He agrees.

They smile at each other for a moment, and then she moves away. "I'm starving. Does anyone know how to cook?" She asks.

"I do." I say, and stand. I walk over to the refrigerator and check the supplies. "Does eggs and bacon sound good?"

Everyone lets out a quiet cheer. Conversations start up, and after a few minutes, I hear Sterling let out a yelp.

"Jesus, woman! You're crushing my baby maker's radius." He hisses.

I turn around to see Avalon sitting on his lap. She throws her head back and laughs. "Like you needed it."

Sterling blushes. "Actually, I kind of do." Avalon raises her eyebrows, and I turn my back to them once again. "I've been seeing this girl for a couple of months now."

"Is she a prostitute?" Avalon giggles. There's a beat of silence. "Oh my God, she is!"

"Not anymore!" Sterling insists, causing everyone to chuckle. "You guys suck, screw you."

"Aw, is Sterling getting mad? Should I call your hooker girlfriend in to make you happy, baby?"

"You're the worst!" Sterling says. But he laughs, and everyone joins in. I smile to myself, but I know that we, as a group, still aren't okay. Miles and Danny have something they're keeping from me, I can just tell. Avalon and Nate might be officially ruined.

And under our laughter, something sinister is lying beneath.


	7. Fire

"So, what's the plan for today?" Charlie asks me.

"I know this is sudden, but I need to go back to Monroe's camp to save an old friend." I say. "You're staying here with Danny and Sterling."

As I speak, Sterling and Danny walk by. "We're going." Sterling says firmly.

At the same time, Danny says, "You can't stop us." I stick my tongue out at them.

"Well, if they're going, I'm going." Charlie says adamantly. I sigh.

Today is the day we're going to save Rachel Matheson. Having Charlie and her growing instability with us would be reckless. But if I don't let her come with us, she'll follow, and possibly ruin our plan.

"Fine." I sigh again. Miles gives me an annoyed look, but I ignore him. "The trip will take two days. Hurry and get packed."

Twenty minutes later, we're on the road. I lent Charlie some of my older sister's clothes. I lied and said they were my mom's. Sterling gave me a knowing look, but I ignored him.

I hang back with Danny. "So Miles never explained why you weren't on a train like I was told."

Danny shrugs. "Monroe's men move fast." I nod, and we walk in silence.

I notice that Aaron and Sterling are up ahead, talking. I can't help but wonder what they're talking about.

Sterling's POV

"Would you mind if I asked you a question?" Aaron asks me.

"No, go on."

"What was Avalon like as a kid?" I smile to myself. To be honest, I'm surprised that nobody else has asked.

"She was really shy." I say. "She was teased a lot when we were in first grade. I was her only friend."

"Really?"

"Yep. After the lights went out, it got worse. Before, girls would just tug on her braids and run away. She had really long hair. But after, it got worse. All of the other parents taught their kids how to defend themselves. But not Avalon's parents. They didn't want her to get hurt, since she already had a loud mouth. They didn't need her to go around, thinking she could beat people up." I pause, gathering my breath. "When we were ten, she started mouthing off to a girl that I liked. She said that the girl didn't deserve to be friends with me. This girl, her name was Sarah, was popular in our little village. She got all of the girls to beat up Avalon. They broke two of her ribs, her nose, and she sprained her thumb trying to punch one of them. After that, she was furious. It took her about a year to completely heal up. But when she did, she went for revenge."

"Revenge?" Aaron asks.

"Yeah. Three broken noses, six black eyes, two broken arms, and one broken toe."

"Just from her alone?"

"Yep. Then one year later, her parents were killed. One more year, she'd joined the militia." I sigh. "Life has not been easy for her."

"It hasn't for anyone." Aaron mumbles, and I nod quietly. I have never heard anything more true.

A few hours later, Avalon calls out to us. "Hey, guys, we should stop. We need to save or energy for the next couple of days."

Aaron settles down next to me. "Thank you for telling me about Avalon."

I shrug. "Anytime. She could use more people on her side."

Avalon's POV

I crouch down next to Danny and Nora while we prepare for the night. "So, you know Uncle Miles?" Danny asks Nora.

"Yeah. For a while, now." Nora says. I pretend to busy myself with pitching a tent, but I listen to their conversation.

"How did you two meet?"

"In the militia. We worked a job together, and it took off from there. It was a couple of years ago."

"Did you two date?"

"In a way." Nora responds. I clench my teeth together and stalk over to a nearby stream, stripping out of my clothes.

By the time I return, everyone is asleep. I wrap myself in a blanket and lay down.

I wake up when the sky is still dark. Someone has lit a fire. I barely see two forms, clearly male, sitting next to the flames. I grasp Charlie's bow and an arrow, which lay right above my head, about to fire at the figures. One of them speaks before I can load the arrow.

"I'm really sorry for kissing her, you know." Miles says.

"I know. I'm really sorry for kissing your niece." Nate says back.

They are quiet for a moment, and I relax back into my sleeping bag. "I just want what's best for Avalon." Miles finally says.

"I do, too. And I want her to love me as much as I love her. But now I'm not sure that's going to happen, because of everything going on. We used to never keep secrets from each other. Or at least, I thought, until I found out she'd been seeing you for a few years. Why would she lie to me about that? She didn't lie about Monroe." Nate shifts.

"She didn't tell you about me because she was embarrassed. She told Lida Connors about us, but only because Lida's a girl. I'm sure if you were one too, she would've told you." Miles pokes at the fire.

"Do you still love her?"

Miles is silent once again. "I don't know. But I'm going to back off. She needs some time to sort her own thoughts out."

"I understand what you're saying. I'm scared to back off. I'm scared that if I back off, she won't want me anymore." Miles slaps Nate on the back.

"Somehow, I don't think that's possible. You should get some rest. We have a lot of ground to cover. I'm keep watch." Miles suggests.

"Alright." Nate climbs back into his own sleeping bag. He begins snoring after a few minutes.

"You should get some rest, too, Avalon." Miles whispers. I smile at his back, and turn over, falling into a deep sleep.

"I am exhausted." Aaron whines. "It's almost dusk, don't you think we should stop?" I exchange a glance with Nate.

"What do you think, Nate?" I ask.

Nate looks around us. "I think Aaron's right. We're close enough to the camp site. It'll take maybe an hour to get there tomorrow. Everyone, let's make camp." We all nod and set our things down.

I bathe quickly and return to camp. I'm still paranoid that I'll be taken when I'm alone. I chose a seat next to the fire in order to dry my damp hair. The fire cracks and waves of heat hit me.

Charlie sits down next to me. "Hey."

"Hey." I smile back faintly at her. She stares at me for a moment. "Did you want to say something?"

"I do. I wanted to say that I'm sorry about Nate's behavior a few days ago." I shake my head. "I just wanted you to know that I never meant for anything to happen between us."

"I know, Charlie. That stunt is very Nate of him. I don't blame you for anything." I notice she is still looking at me funny. "What?"

"Why don't you blame me for everything? If it wasn't for me, you and Nate would still be living happily alone."

"True, things would be a lot better between us." Charlie winces at my bluntness. "But Danny would be dead. You would only have Miles left. You've pieced together what you can of your family, and I'm glad I could help."

"But why? I kissed your boyfriend!" Charlie practically yells.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Don't make me angry. I'm unusually calm, and I don't want you to fuck it up."

"Sorry." She says quietly.

"Anyways, I'm glad we met because I don't have friends. My one girl friend ran away a few years back, and Monroe got her back. All I had was Miles and Nate. Literally. And now, I have Sterling as well. At least you have Nora. Being on this journey made me realize how much of a monster I was becoming. So thank you, Charlie, for being a pain in my ass. It was the wake up call I needed."

Charlie smiles at me. "I consider you to be my friend."

"You do?" Charlie nods.

"That's part of why I feel so guilty about Nate. I shouldn't do that to friends." I smile at her. "Do you need help with your hair? I could braid it." Charlie offers.

I almost turn her down. "Yeah, could you?" Charlie's deft hands weave my hair into a plain braid down my back. "Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome. I'm going to bed." Charlie says, and stands up.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

I look up at her. "We're friends now, Charlie. After tomorrow, please don't forget that I'm trying to help you." Charlie nods.

"Of course I won't forget that. Have a good night's rest." I turn back to the fire once she lies down. I close my eyes and reminisce about a time when life wasn't so complicated.


End file.
